My Holy Grail

Introducing Talloolah Wilde.  

 


Hailing from 1930's Louisiana (but educated in New York and abroad). A stuck up mulatto who thinks highly of herself although everyone knows her mama was a whore and her grandmother killed a man in cold blood. She is always in the company of wealthy gentlemen callers.

OR maybe she's not stuck up at all but they everyone thinks she is because she's so beautiful and mysterious. And maybe you'd be a whore too if you had no education or prospects. And if you had to raise not only your three children, but your younger brothers and sisters because your Mama's in jail and your daddy went home to his white family. And maybe some folks call it cold blood, but when a man is trying to take your home and your children away from you, you'll do just about anything you need to do to keep them safe.

And just maybe gentlemen callers who want to take care of you are the only company you can get when everyone is jealous and suspicious of you. And who doesn't want to feel loved? And really, who doesn't love diamonds?


Inspired by Toni Morrison's Sula, Melinda Haines's Mother of Pearl and my own grandmother. And also Martina Topley-Bird's album Some Place Simple which has a lot of African, "Negro" spirituals,  Harlem Renaissancey type of influences:

Such as

And

Maybe the movie Idlewilde too but I don't remember much of it. But the atmosphere...

I wanted to do a better photoshoot with proper lighting but my 3 year old was sick and up until 2 am talking about shadows in her room and freaking out. Sigh.

But already I've kicked Hanna out of her new apartment and given it to Talloolah. I'm not sure it's grand enough for her so we have to work on something new. Or she can move into Josephine's blue room for now.

Okay time to rearrange Grandville to give everyone some room to stretch out. I may send Josephine off to France for 6 months. Her house is mighty crowded right now.

smooches!